beerco

I've only been kamado cooking since the spring, but I'll give it a go anyway: Charcoal - find out what you've got nearby and check it out both in the reviews and in person - much easier than mail order. Luckily for me I've got a GFS which stocks royal oak lump year round (mix of U.S. and Argentinian) which is good enough for me. No sense in turning your garage into a warehouse until winter time when availability may be limited. I use a plate setter for any cooks longer than an hour or so (I use a BGE BTW). If you use a drip pan, use little foil balls to make a little spacer between the drip pan and plate setter. For things like chicken (.75~1.5 hours) I go direct. For starting I bought one of those electric starter things and absolutely love it. I use it to start everything except overnight cooks in which case I use a chimney starter to start a small amount of lump which I pour on top of the mother-load already in the fire box.

Re: The Komodo held in an average of 65% more heat. I bought a BGE this spring and have been thrilled with it. So far I haven't invented any new recipes but have been amazing my friends and family with simple stuff like $.69/pound chicken simply rubbed and cooked direct at 350o - my dad who's a total curmudgeon actually asked to be invited back next time we make it! The KK looks like an amazing piece of hardware and I'm glad that this forum is a "friendly" as opposed to that other place.

Re: The Komodo held in an average of 65% more heat. Be careful though, following your speculation, an oven with no air circulation would be best and we know that isn't the case, especially if you like the whole charcoal/smoke thang. Good to be aboard, thanks for the welcome.

Re: The Komodo held in an average of 65% more heat. Actually, I think not. The efficiency of the cooker will definitely affect your charcoal usage but not necessarily the radiant heat hitting your food. I think the big step is moving from a steel cooker to ceramic. Grades of ceramic most likely have less outcome on the food's flavor. One thing I've wondered is if "more ceramic" would take longer for the cooker to come up to temp. KK has come up with a very clever solution by doing that bi material thing.